Restoring Balance
by Pir8grl
Summary: A time travel adventure, set in the continuity of A Universal Constant.


"Stop squirming!" Amaya scolded. Her tone implied that it was not the first time she'd had to say it.

"What's all the fuss?" Sara grumbled. "We visit history all the time -"

"And draw undue attention to yourself by flouting the proper details of historic fashion," Gideon added, in a rather disapproving tone.

"But it's all so…frumpy," Sara groused.

"This is not even remotely frumpy," Amaya replied, exasperation clear in her tone. "Leonard picked a beautiful painting for us to work from. You look amazing."

"I can't breath. How am I supposed to fight?"

"You're supposed to act like a lady," Amaya reminded her. She tucked a few more pins into Sara's hair, then stepped back, appraising her work. "There. You look -"

"Exquisite," Leonard supplied, from where he was holding up the door frame, appreciatively eyeing the beauty before him.

Gideon had recreated the ice blue silk gown from the portrait, from the rigidly boned bodice that Sara had been griping about, to the billowing sleeves and skirt. Amaya had carefully curled and pinned her hair to match the painting.

Sara got to her feet and crossed to him, mindful of the yards and yards of ridiculous skirts. "Is this really necessary?"

"Really really," Leonard informed her solemnly.

"And you're really gonna wear that thing?" She gestured to the elaborately curled wig he was sporting.

"Alas, yes. Short, cropped hair was the trademark of the previous regime. It's really not safe to give the wrong impression."

"I think you look rather dashing," Amaya informed him as she slipped out of the room.

"She's right, you know," Sara murmured, running a teasing hand down the front of his slate-gray frock coat. "This stuff suits you. Except for the wig. It distracts from your eyes. Speaking of which, want help with your contacts?"

Leonard actually blushed a bit. "I…um…actually…I had Gideon fix my eyes."

Sara stared up at him. "But I thought you didn't want -"

He caught her hand in his own. "I want this life, with you. I can't have you always worrying about me."

"Leonard…"

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. "I want this," he repeated. His smile turned decidedly mischievous. "I like being able to see you clearly."

"I liked the glasses," Sara said with a pretty pout.

"Well, if m'lady likes the glasses, I'm certain Gideon can replicate some with plain glass, purely for…recreational purposes."

* * *

**London, Summer 1666**

"Why does the past always smell so bad?" Mick grumbled over the comms.

Sara chose to ignore him, in favor of appreciating the wonder on her lover's face.

"That's Nonesuch House," he murmured, pointing to an elaborately carved monstrosity that brooded over the far side of London Bridge. "And that there - that's the gap that breaks the fire. Everything on this side will be lost. I wish…" he patted the satchel he carried, containing a sketchbook and charcoal. "I wish I could record it better than this."

"Your sketches are amazing," Sara assured him. "And - I don't think so!"

Her tone turned sharp as she caught the wrist of the ragged little thief making a reach for Leonard's pocket. Cat-green eyes glared up at her from beneath a mop of unruly brown curls.

"Sara, she's just a kid," Leonard said soothingly.

"And you're just a pushover."

The girl stared at her, taking in the curious turn of phrase.

Leonard crouched down to the child's level. "What's your name, kid?" he asked quietly.

The girl tried to pull her arm from Sara's grip, without success. "Susie Kyle," she finally hissed defiantly.

"That's a very pretty name. And who's your little friend?" Leonard asked, nodding to the whiskered face peeping out of the bag the child had slung over her shoulder.

"Mouser."

"I like it," Leonard said with an approving smile. "Have you and Mouser eaten anything today, Susie?"

She shook her head mutely. "You gonna set the watch on me?"

"No." Leonard dug in his pocket and produced a coin. "Here. Take this, and get yourself something to eat. And stay out of trouble."

He glanced at Sara until she released the girl with a sigh. She watched as the ragged urchin melted away into the crowd.

"You know she's just gonna run right back to Fagin -"

"Wrong century, and he's a work of fiction."

"You know what I mean."

"Look, the kid's out on the streets and hungry. I can't just let that slide. I can't."

Sara twined her arms through his and reached up to press a kiss to his cheek. "I know. Now come on…let's go see more of the city."

* * *

Susie scampered along the rooftops and eaves of the market place. There were more targets on the ground, to be sure, but it was easier to move about unseen up top - quicker, too. She could choose a really good mark, instead of working the crowd for pennies. She could also keep an eye out for the city watch and avoid them. It was also nice to draw a deep breath that didn't stink of last night's chamber pots.

She did notice that curious couple from the bridge. There was something distinctly odd about them.. They weren't regular London swells, she was sure of it. The pretty blonde lady didn't seem to have a care for her fine gown. The price of that silk would feed Susie and her family for a long, long time. If she ever had a dress like that, she'd be damn sure not to go dragging the hem through the muck and the mud.

The lady also seemed to be the one with her wits about her, warning off the cut purses and pickpockets with a steely glare, and the occasional sharp blow. Her fine gentleman friend seemed to have his head in the clouds. He would point excitedly to random houses, and then draw them in his book. What was so interesting about a bunch of old buildings? They'd stood there forever, and likely always would.

* * *

The market place was crowded and smelly and bustling and squalid…and utterly glorious in Leonard's eyes. This was the old, medieval walled city of London that lived on only in written descriptions, and pen and ink drawings. Soon it would all be swept away, even the tower of old St. Paul's Cathedral, still magnificent, without its spire.

He turned to ask Sara where she'd like to go next. There was a bookseller's stall, and a silver smith's shop…

And she was fending off yet another would be thief. She shook out her fist surreptitiously, before linking her arm through his again.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Don't be. You keep admiring your city, and I'll keep kicking ass. Fair division of labor."

"Not so much in this time and place," Leonard said sheepishly.

"Hey." Sara squeezed his arm reassuringly. "I can hold my own, anytime, anyplace. You only get to sketch this city now. So you do your thing."

"I love you. You know that, right?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

The impish grin on her face was a particular favorite of his, and in a slightly more secure setting, he would have been sorely tempted to kiss her. He settled for tucking her arm a little closer in his own.

"Do you think the others are having any better luck finding the anomaly in Southwark?"

"Not that I've heard," Sara replied. "They seem to be doing most of their looking in pubs."

"Maybe sending Mick into the local red light district wasn't the best plan," Leonard considered.

"Yeah," Sara snorted, "like he'd blend in in the nicer part of town."

"Why are most of the others over on the other side of the bridge, anyway?"

Sara shrugged, a casual gesture very much at odds with her costume. "I figured the theater district was a good bet for hiding a magical object."

"And?"

"And…I knew this was the sort of place you'd love. And I wanted…I just wanted to give you something special."

The urge to kiss her was even stronger, but Leonard was mindful enough of their surroundings to settle for lifting her hand to his lips for a gentle kiss. His eyes, however, promised a far better thank you, once they were back aboard the ship.

"Mick's right about one thing," Sara said, "it really does smell awful here!"

Leonard chuckled, and bought her a posy from a girl on the street corner. Sara laughed and held it daintily to her nose. Just ahead, a vendor's cart caught his eye. It held an array of small, pretty items - hair combs, mirrors, and trinket boxes.

A small hand mirror, only four or five inches across, attracted his attention. It was silver, sparkling merrily in the sunlight. There was a design of roses on the back, and the handle was worked to look like intertwined vines, forming a small loop. He'd seen other ladies wearing such things suspended from their waists on fine chains. It was foolish, and lovely, and would make a delightful souvenir of their excursion.

After a brief haggle, he passed over some coins, and the vendor presented him with his purchase. Sara smiled delightedly and admired her reflection in the tiny surface. He looked over her shoulder, so that both their faces were reflected together.

The mirror grew strangely warm in Sara's hand. She blinked against a rush of giddiness. Leonard seemed to be in similar difficulty. Their images danced and wavered across the surface of the mirror. And then…the street seemed to spin beneath their feet. Leonard and Sara both staggered dizzily, and someone pushed between them, grabbing the mirror out of Sara's hand. She fell to the cobblestones in a heap of silken skirts.

"Hey!" Leonard shouted, moving as if to run after the thief, even as he shook his head to clear it.

"Leonard, no!" Sara called plaintively, still sprawled on the ground. "Don't leave me."

Torn, Leonard glanced in the direction the thief had gone. "But…he robbed you."

"At least he didn't hurt us. Now, will you please help me up?"

"I…of course." He turned back to Sara, only to see a shop keeper carefully trying to assist Sara to her feet. "Hey - hands off, pal!"

"I meant no offense, sir. Just tryin' to help the lady."

Leonard stepped in close, wrapping a possessive arm around Sara.

* * *

Susie watched curiously from her perch. Something strange had just happened. The pretty lady in blue who'd been fending off thieves and cut purses, now clung tightly to her companion's arm as she appraised the fripperies displayed for sale. In contrast, her companion now peered about them with an icy gaze that cowed any other would-be assailants.

She didn't understand why the lady hadn't clobbered that stupid oaf who stole her mirror. Silver cost a pretty penny, after all, and that thief was dreadfully clumsy.

It _**really**_ wasn't any of her concern. Except…they'd been nice to her. They could have called the watch, and they hadn't. The fellow was generous, too. If she was to recover his lady's mirror, maybe he'd see fit to give her another coin…or two. Maybe even three.

Besides, she _**hated**_ sloppy thievery. Determined, she whistled for Mouser. He came loping back, licking his chops, and she stuffed him back into her bag, then set off across the rooftops. There was only one place that fellow could hope to sell stolen silver. She just had to catch him before he got there.

* * *

"Hey, Blondie!" Sara jumped, startled at Mick's voice in her comm. "Any luck finding the magical whatsit?"

"Nope. No magical whatsits here," she replied. "There's lots of beautiful things for sale, but nothing that seems out of place. I did see some gorgeous silk that would make an amazing dress."

"Uh…yer wearing a silk dress."

"And you whined about it the whole time you were getting dressed," Amaya added. "Leonard, have you seen anything out of the ordinary?"

"It's a little hard to tell when I'm busy fending off thieves. What is this place, the crime capital of the known universe?"

"Are you two drunk or somethin'?" Mick demanded.

"You haven't been drinking the water, have you?" Ray added anxiously. "The water in the Thames is _**filthy**_ right now."

"OK. Something's not right," Amaya declared. "Gideon, can you give us Sara and Leonard's location? And the fastest way to get to them?"

"Certainly, Ms. Jiwe," Gideon replied calmly.

"Hang tight, Boss, we're comin' to get you."

* * *

It was not at all unusual for the Legends to become involved in local brawls. The probability increased by leaps and bounds, the more decorous their surroundings. What _**was**_ highly unusual was for Leonard Snart, former architect formerly from another Earth, to be engaged in said fisticuffs while Sara Lance was pressed into a corner behind him, clutching the satchel containing his precious art supplies.

"What the _**hell?"**_ Mick exclaimed, taking in the improbable scene. Despite his newfound enthusiasm, Leonard was clearly no match for three toughs at once.

"Never mind!" Amaya retorted. "Just break it up before someone calls the authorities!"

Mick and Ray waded grimly into the fray, while Amaya circled to her friend.

"What's wrong, Sara? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

"Why didn't you take care of those creeps?"

"Well, I had a gentleman to defend me, didn't I?"

"But Sara, you're a trained fighter. Leonard isn't. Are you sure you didn't hit your head or something?"

Mick hauled Leonard unceremoniously to his feet. "You! What were you thinking?"

"They made remarks," he replied pugnaciously. "About Sara."

"Well, then, you let Sara knock their heads together."

"Something is really wrong here," Ray said, glancing from one to the other. "Think back. Did you eat or drink anything? Inhale anything?"

"Leonard bought me a posy," Sara said brightly.

"That was _**before**_ they started acting all funny."

The Legends turned to face Susie, who stood staring right back at them.

"Susie! Shouldn't you be in school or something?" Sara exclaimed, "It's not safe for a little girl to be out in the streets!"

Susie just rolled her eyes at that.

Amaya plastered on a kind smile and came over to speak to her. "How do you know?"

"Been watchin' from up there." The girl jerked her chin in the general direction of the rooftops.

"What did you see?" Amaya prompted.

The girl crossed her arms and looked at them shrewdly. "Cost you a silver penny."

"Fine."

Amaya held out her hand, and Ray promptly dropped a coin into it. She extended the coin to Susie, who reached out and snatched it.

"I been watching them all morning. She's been the one was fending off all them thieves, while he's been drawing in a book."

"Sounds about right," Mick muttered.

Susie glared at him for interrupting. "Then he bought her a mirror. After they looked in it, she started acting like a girl, and he started acting like…her."

The Legends exchanged glances.

"A mirror," Ray muttered. "Sounds like that was the anomaly. What happened to the mirror?"

"It was stolen," Leonard said shortly. "I wanted to go after them, but Sara was afraid to be left alone."

"We gotta fix this," Mick muttered.

"Yes, but how, if the mirror was stolen?" Amaya asked helplessly.

"You mean this mirror?" Susie asked nonchalantly, holding up the shiny object, carefully keeping it away from her face.

Mick lunged for the mirror and Susie skipped back out of reach. Mouser stuck his head out of the bag and hissed, for good measure.

"How did you get that, Susie?" Amaya asked, trying to insert a measure of calm.

Susie shrugged. "I tailed the feller who stole it. Picked his pockets and got away before he even made it to the Thieves' Quarter. He never knew what hit him."

"I bought that for Sara," Leonard said belligerently. "Give it back."

"Oi! Finders keepers!

"Suppose we were to pay you for it, fair and square?" Amaya suggested.

Susie beamed at her. "I like you. You talk nice. Five shillings."

"How about ten?"

The girl's eyes widened. "You must really want this thing." She held out her hand.

Amaya passed over a handful of coins, and accepted the mirror in exchange. She made very sure to keep it faced to the ground. Susie nodded approvingly at that.

"Now, can you tell us exactly what happened just before they…changed?" Amaya asked.

"Cost you another shilling," Susie replied, bouncing on the balls of her feet, obviously getting ready to run.

"We already gave you twice what you asked for, kid," Mick reminded her.

"Yeah, but I'm the one with the information. You can pay me and save yourselves some time, or figure it out for yourselves." She glanced at Sara, who was fussing with the lace on her sleeves, and Leonard, who was glaring at any man who so much as looked at Sara, despite his sundry bruises. Susie raised an eyebrow. "I dunno about you, but I'd want them back the way they're s'posed to be."

Ray stepped forward and handed her another coin. "You drive a hard bargain, kid."

She grinned impudently.

"Now, how do we fix our friends?" Amaya asked firmly.

"Awright. The lady was looking in the mirror, and the gentleman stepped beside her, so's they was both looking." The last was accompanied by an expression of disgust at romantic behavior universal to children the world over. "Then they started acting all drunk-like, and that's when that stupid clod pushed in and stole the lady's mirror." She snorted in disgust. "Sloppy."

"But effective," Ray replied with a slight shrug.

Susie glared at him. "It was sloppy and stupid! When you push into someone, they have a better chance of grabbing onto you or being able to tell the watch what you look like. My way's better."

Mick chuckled. "Oh, I usta know someone who woulda loved you, kid."

A sad expression flitted across Ray's features. Then he sucked in a deep breath and shook his head slightly. "All right. Let's do this." He held out a hand to Sara, only to have Leonard push in between them. "Whoa, there, Leonard. I'm just trying to help. Now, if you could stand with Sara…Amaya?"

Susie observed dubiously. "Are you sure this is gonna work?"

"It's all we got," Mick rumbled.

Amaya passed Sara the mirror.

"Oh, how pretty!" Sara exclaimed.

Susie rolled her eyes again.

"Leonard, look into the mirror with Sara," Amaya coaxed.

Leonard stepped in close, so that both their faces were framed in the mirror. After a moment, they both reeled back drunkenly, landing on the ground in a heap. Sara staggered to her feet immediately, muttering imprecations at her skirts.

Leonard sat for a moment, with a dazed expression on his face. "My sketchbook…" he groaned.

"Got it right here, buddy," Ray said, holding out his satchel.

Sara turned to help Leonard to his feet, wincing as she checked the black eye blossoming on his face.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded of the group at large.

"I think you two found our anomaly," Amaya informed them dryly.

"Great," Sara muttered. "Now can we find something to drink?"

Susie chortled gleefully. "I think the sauce is the last thing you need right now, lady."

Sara grimaced against a pounding headache. "Watch your purses around this one."

"You guys would still be mixed up, if it wasn't for her," Ray explained.

"And besides," Mick added, "ain't got nothing left in our purses. Kid drives a hard bargain."

Sara grinned at the girl. "OK then. Sounds like we owe you our thanks."

Susie nodded acknowledgement. "What you gonna do with that thing? Seems sorta dangerous. If it was me, I think I'd melt it down."

"Smart kid," Mick said, with approval. (Any kid who wanted to melt stuff was just fine in his book.)

"Don't worry. We'll put it away someplace where it won't hurt anyone else," Sara assured her. "Thanks for your help."

Leonard got down on one knee to speak to the girl. "Susie, is there anywhere else you can go? Out of the city, I mean. It's just…" he floundered, not wanting to blow the timeline, and knowing that what he wanted to say would too easily be dismissed as impossible. "London isn't the safest place to be. I mean…especially…if you could find somewhere else to go, before the summer's out."

Susie just looked at him as if he were an idiot. "London ain't never a safe place to be, but it's where the ships bound for the colonies sail from."

"Oh, you're going to America?" Ray asked brightly.

"What's 'Merica? We're going to a new settlement, place called Gotham. I reckon I've got enough now to book passage for me and my mum and my baby brother."

"When do you leave?" Amaya asked.

"Next month, I reckon. As soon as Sir Jonathan Wayne's ship is provisioned. It's called the Flying Fox."

"Good luck to you, Susie Kyle," Sara said with a grin. "Gotham'll never know what hit it."

"That's the plan," Susie replied, before melting into the crowd.

"Gotham. Kyle," Ray mused. "Why is that ringing a bell?"

"My head is ringing like a bell," Leonard groaned.

Sara eyed him sympathetically and ducked under his arm to help steady him. "Come on. Let's get you home so Gideon can fix you up."

* * *

Sara and Leonard were relaxing in Sara's office, reveling in the luxuries of showers, clean clothing, and Gideon-mended bruises. As well as a decanter of scotch.

Leonard was leafing through his sketchbook, admiring his drawings of buildings lost to the Great Fire. He waved off Sara's profound apologies about the last one - her own under-the-influence attempt at his portrait.

"I really am sorry," she mumbled, gasping through her laughter.

Leonard, also laughing, waved off her apology. "I wonder what happened to Susie. Do you think she and her family made it to Gotham?"

"She did, indeed, Mr. Snart," Gideon informed them.

"Hey, that's great," Sara said.

"In fact, a descendent of Miss Kyle's family still resides there."

A viewscreen flared to life, displaying a photo from the society pages of one of Gotham City's major news outlets. Centuries after the fact, the woman was what Susie might have looked like as an adult - striking green eyes, a mouth that hinted at a wicked sense of humor, and unruly brown curls, just barely tamed into an artfully messy coiffure. Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne, attending some charity shindig for the Wayne Foundation.

"Looks like the kid did all right for herself," Leonard mused.

"Like the man said, time will tell." Sara unwound herself from her chair and stood, stretching. She held out a hand to Leonard.

"Where are we going?"

"We are going to make sure that the next time you decide to take on three bad guys at the same time, you're better prepared."

Leonard winced. "I sense more bruises in my future."

The look Sara flashed him was positively sinful. "Don't worry. I'll kiss them better."

"Promise?"

"Always."


End file.
